Could we launch, vaporize Nuclear Waste?

Question

If we had a machine, which stayed on the Earth however had a tube which could rise out of the atmosphere, and it took up Nuclear Waste, lets say it then vaporized it until the waste was just a gas in space, closed itself up and then the machines tube descended into its original form until the next lot of waste would arrive.

What do you think?

Answer 1

Completely impossible.  We can't build a structure that big, period.  And even if we could, the energy required would be prohibitive.  And to 'vaporize' the waste?  Look into the physics of how that works, it's not really feasible for what you're trying to do.

Consider something more plausible: Deep burial along fault lines where one plate is pushing beneath the other.  In a few thousand years, the waste would be pushed beneath the earth's crust, where there is already plenty of nuclear decay occurring

Answer 2

And what would happen in the case of a miss fire?  Radioactive nuclear waste showering the plant.

Answer 3

We do everything with nuclear waste but what is logical and inexpensive!  Where did we get so superstitious that we became the only nation in the world, "the greatest country in the world," that buries nuclear waste?  Other countries recycle and reuse spent fuel rods.  We should be on the cutting edge of that technology, even if it's that advanced.  It just makes good sense.  Burying nuclear waste is just stupid and unproductive.  Reuse it instead.

Answer 4

Really???????  I'm an Iron Worker, and I build things.  I''m just trying to see how you could make a tube long enough to expel the waste, yet strong enough not to collapse under its own weight, not be destroyed by debris or weather.  Of course our misguided terrorist friends would love to blow up something like that.  Nope, just cant see it.  But good thinking outside of the box.  

Answer 5

It wont work and would cost too much...

Answer 6

Yeah!  Thats a great idea and we could train ducks to announce the next load!  We could breed them so the ducks would all be spotted and Quack the star spangled banner so people could get their nuclear waste together at the curb so the really fast waste trucks could get it.

Answer 7

So let me try to give a non idiotic answer to a very idiotic question.

First, the amount of waste that has accumulated so far,is way beyond our ability to throw it away into outer space.  

Second,the 'device' you imagine, would not be possible to build or operate. Maybe, if the Earth was flat and stationary, but it's not!  

Answer 8

Actually,I'm not quite agree with sending useless material into space and dispose it.Hey,it's our Earth resources!Why give out,when you couldn't receive?

Logically,we could do that,but it cost a lot!

Plus,a tube rises to the atmosphere?There is a lot  problem like:How much material it gonna used to build this gigantic long tube?How it will stand on blast of wind 100mile/hour and so on.

Of course,it won't be eco-friendly!

Answer 9

Why would we want to do that?  The waste from power plants still has lots of potential for use as an energy source.

Answer 10

we could launch it over into north korea or iran pretty easily